Wetlands (2013) Film & Review Not for the Faint of Stomach

Disgusting is erotic. Eroticism is disgusting.

Total indulgence in a body--embracing oozing smells and secretions, relishing pieces taught to be trimmed and tamed--is fascinating. Sex is the closest thing we have to socially acceptable bodily indulgence. Sex smells. Sex sweats. Sex cums. We love it. 

Screenshot from trailer

Sex is also an oddly powerful word, regardless of its meaning. I've never really noticed the way it is shaped, especially with a capital S, the unusual x. Sex. Sex. Sex. 

Anyway, I say all of this while being known to obsessively pick at my skin, taking time to watch skin flake off my body and pus snake out of my acne, to stare in wonder at the blood that collects in my DivaCup every month before it spins its way down the drain, among other disgusting habits (dare I say hobbies?) that I have been taught to conceal. This could account for the affinity I have to Wetlands, a 2013 German film directed by David Wendt, starring Carla Juri playing Helen.

The film is based on a novel by Charlotte Roche, and chronicles a nasty teenager who takes pleasure in the nastiness of bodies. The film is indulgent in the disgusting eroticism of the body and so is Helen. Like the film itself, Helen is unafraid to confront the world with a bold and wry confidence that challenges the shy or prude around her. I like that, and I like her. I like seeing a character that is bizarre in such a relatable way. I like the idea of sexual liberation being paired with bodily liberation. Her pussy smells, not in a way that makes people crinkle their noses, but in a way that attracts men to her, carried by the smell of her totally rank vag. I've always liked the natural smell of myself, but I'm not supposed to, am I? If I'm giving TMI about my own filthiness, then I don't recommend the film. 

Screenshot from trailer

Carla Juri is wonderful. She believes in Helen. She is also outlandishly beautiful, which makes the filth surrounding her even more unsettlingly fascinating. 

Some of the shots and narrative feels a little too tried in the indie film sector of recent years, and seem like a mirroring of methods more than an original take. It takes me out of a story when I see something that was so obviously inspired by another. I hate when a character introduces themselves to us with a quick montage of bizarre, colorful scenes that shock us, the viewers, and put us in our places. Amelie did it and did it wonderfully. I shouldn't be thinking about Amelie's world. I should be thinking about Helen's. 

The film also ran into storytelling trouble by having too many paths it tried to follow. Helen and her best friend were great. Helen and her parents' marriage struggles got to be excessive. It felt out of character for Helen to push for them so much, too. I like the contrary parts of her personality, but it could have been drawn out by her best friend or her love interest. The divorce could stay, but could be woven into the story more subtly, without taking up so much space.

Screenshot from trailer

Watch the movie, indulge in the grossest parts of you. We're used to being exposed to sex and war, but we have not tapped into the disgusting on the same degree, so we still get shocked and unsettled by it. 

Watch the trailer here